Mad Scientist Jeopardy

Jupiter Debate

100

Which of the following best describes how the 2 scientists explain how craters are removed from Europa's surface? Scientist 1 Scientist 2 A. Sublimation Filled in by water B. Filled in by water Sublimation C. Worn smooth by wind Sublimation D . Worn smooth by Filled in by Water wind

B is the best answer. Scientist 1 says that the craters are smoothed by liquid water that oozes up into the craters from the subsurface and then quickly freezes. Scientist 2 says that when ice sublimates, the craters are eroded and smoothed.

200

According to the information provided, which of the following descriptions of Europa would be accepted by both scientists? F.Europa has a larger diameter than does Jupiter. G.Europa has a surface made of rocky material. H.Europa has a surface temperature of 20°C. J.Europa is completely covered by a layer of ice.

J is the best answer. Both scientists indicate that ice covers large portions of the surface and neither discusses the presence of any other surface material. So, both scientists would likely agree that Europa is completely covered by a layer of ice.

300

Which of the following statements about meteorite craters on Europa would be most consistent with both scientists' views? F.No meteorites have struck Europa for millions of years. G.Meteorite craters, once formed, are then smoothed or removed by Europa's surface processes. H.Meteorite craters, once formed on Europa, remain unchanged for billions of years. J.Meteorites frequently strike Europa's surface but do not leave any craters.

G is the best answer. Both scientists describe surface processes that smooth or remove meteorite craters. Scientist 1 says that the craters become smooth when liquid water oozes into the craters and then quickly freezes. Scientist 2 says the process is the result of the sublimation of ice.

400

Scientist 2 explains that ice sublimes to water vapor and enters Europa's atmosphere. If ultraviolet light then broke those water vapor molecules apart, which of the following gases would one most likely expect to find in Europa's atmosphere as a result of this process? A.Nitrogen B.Methane C.Chlorine D.Oxygen

D is the best answer. Water vapor molecules are composed of hydrogen and oxygen. The breakdown of these molecules would lead to the production of oxygen (O2) in the atmosphere.

500

Assume Scientist 2's view about the similarities between Europa's surface features and flowing glaciers on Earth is correct. Based on this assumption and the information provided, Earth's glaciers would be least likely to exhibit which of the following features? A.Pressure ridges B.Cracks C.Meteorite craters D.Dark bands

C is the best answer. Scientist 2 states that many of the features on Europa's surface resemble features created by flowing glaciers on Earth. These features include cracks, dark bands, and pressure ridges. So, Earth's glaciers might exhibit these features. However, Scientist 2 does not indicate that Earth's glaciers might exhibit meteorite craters.

Germination of Seeds

100

In general, the results of Study 1 suggest that peony seeds that are placed in a petri dish containing damp paper are most likely to germinate when they are maintained at which of the following temperatures? A.13°C B.18°C C.23°C D.28°C

B is the best answer. In Study 1 more seeds germinated when they were maintained at a germination temperature of 18°C than when they were maintained at any of the other 3 germination temperatures. So the seeds are more likely to germinate when they are maintained at 18°C than when they are maintained at 13°C, 23°C, or 28°C.

200

In Study 2, at the storage temperature of 5°C, as germination temperature increased from 13°C to 28°C, the number of seeds that germinated: A.decreased only. B.increased only. C.decreased, then increased. D.increased, then decreased.

D is the best answer. In Study 2, 4 germination temperatures were used: 13°C, 18°C, 23°C, and 28°C. The numbers of seeds that germinated at these 4 temperatures were 16, 23, 21, and 1, respectively. So, as germination temperature increased from 13°C to 28°C, the number of seeds that germinated initially increased (from 16 to 23) and then decreased (from 23 to 21 and from 21 to 1).

300

Suppose another set of 25 peony seeds had been included in Study 2 and these seeds had a storage temperature of 25°C and a germination temperature of 18°C. Based on the information provided, the number of seeds that would have germinated after being maintained for 30 days would most likely have been closest to: F. 0. G. 8. H.16. J.24.

F is the best answer. In Study 2, when the storage temperature was equal to or greater than 15°C, zero seeds germinated. So, the number of seeds that would have germinated after being maintained for 30 days would most likely have been closer to 0 than to any other number.

400

Which of the following sets of seeds were exposed to the same conditions prior to being placed in the petri dishes? F.The seeds from Study 1 that were stored for 8 weeks and the seeds from Study 2 that were stored at 5°C G.The seeds from Study 1 that were stored for 8 weeks and the seeds from Study 2 that were stored at 15°C H.The seeds from Study 1 that were stored for 10 weeks and the seeds from Study 2 that were stored at 5°C J.The seeds from Study 1 that were stored for 10 weeks and the seeds from Study 2 that were stored at 15°C

H is the best answer. In Study 1, all of the seeds were stored at 5°C. In Study 2, all of the seeds were stored for 10 weeks. So, seeds exposed to the same conditions in Studies 1 and 2 must have been stored at 5°C for 10 weeks.

500

The experimental designs of Study 2 and Study 1 differed in that in Study 2: F.storage temperature was held constant. G.storage time was held constant. H.germination temperature was varied. J.germination time was varied.

G is the best answer. In Study 1, 5 storages periods were used: 0, 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks. In Study 2, 1 storage period was used: 10 weeks. So, in Study 2, storage time was held constant. In Study 1, storage time was varied.

Radioactive Waste

100

According to Study 2, the thermal conductivity of rock salt measured at a temperature of 500°C would be closest to which of the following values? A.1.0 W/m°C B.2.0 W/m°C C.3.5 W/m°C D.4.0 W/m°C

B is the best answer. In Study 2, as temperature increased from 0°C to 400°C, thermal conductivity of rock salt decreased from about 6.1 W/m°C to about 2.2 W/m°C. In addition, the rate of the decrease slowed as temperature increased. For example, as temperature increased from 300°C to 400°C, thermal conductivity decreased by about 0.4 W/m°C (from about 2.6 W/m°C to about 2.2 W/m°C). Based on this trend, thermal conductivity at 500°C would be about 0.2 W/m°C less than the thermal conductivity at 400°C (2.2 W/m°C). So, the best estimate is 2.0 W/m°C.

200

According to Study 3, if another set of temperatures had been calculated for a time 1,000,000 years in the future, the calculated temperature increase in any of the 4 rock types would most likely be closest to: F. 0°C G.10°C. H.20°C. J.30°C.

F is the best answer. In Figure 2, each curve represents 1 of the 4 rock types. Each curve starts to decrease after about 70 yr. To determine the rock temperature increase (°C) at 1,000,000 yr, extrapolate each curve. Because the x-axis is a semi-log scale, the distance along the x-axis between 10,000 yr and 100,000 yr will equal the distance along the x-axis between 100,000 yr and 1,000,000 yr. So, when time is 1,000,000 yr, each of the curves will be at 0°C.

300

According to the results of Study 1, which of the following best describes the relationship between thermal conductivity and rock temperature? As thermal conductivity increases, the rock temperature recorded adjacent to buried SF canisters: F.decreases only. G.increases only. H.increases, then decreases. J.remains the same.

F is the best answer. Table 1 shows how the recorded rock temperature varied with thermal conductivity. Higher thermal conductivities are associated with lower rock temperatures. For example, the rock type with the lowest thermal conductivity (basalt) had the highest rock temperature, and the rock type with the highest thermal conductivity (rock salt) had the lowest rock temperature. So as thermal conductivity increases, rock temperature decreases only.

400

Based only on the information provided, which of the following rock types would be the safest in which to bury SF ? A.Rock salt B.Granite C.Basalt D.Shale

A is the best answer. The scientists wanted to determine which of the 4 rock types would be least affected by heat from SF. Heating can cause rock to expand and crack. So the rock type that showed the least amount of heating would be the safest rock type in which to bury SF. The studies show that rock salt had the smallest increase in temperature. So rock salt would be the safest rock type to use.

500

Which of the following procedures, in addition to Studies 1, 2, and 3, would best test whether the amount of heat generated by SF is related to the mass of the SF ? F.Following the design of Study 1 but using concrete canisters containing 0.4 metric tons of SF G.Following the design of Study 1 but using stainless steel canisters containing 0.8 metric tons of SF H.Following the design of Study 2 but determining the thermal conductivities of twice as much of each rock type J.Following the design of Study 3 but determining the rock temperatures 0.5 km from the sites of SF burial

G is the best answer. To determine whether the amount of heat generated by SF is related to the mass of the SF, the amount of heat generated by SF should be determined as the mass of the SF is varied. To do this, Study 1 should be repeated with a different mass of SF. In Study 1, 0.4 metric tons of SF were tested, so using 0.8 metric tons of SF would provide a comparison to determine how the mass of the SF affects the amount of heat generated by the SF.